‘I don’t want to see men’s bits on stage’

Talking to Ellen Kent after the show, she said she was delighted with the performance of her company.

“I had to explain to Ruslan to take the booing as a compliment to his performance”, she said.

I had to explain to Ruslan to take the booing as a compliment to his performance

“It showed the audience had got so involved in the plot.”

Rapturous applause at the finale spoke volumes.

A youthful 66, the Bombay-born Ellen shows no signs of retiring.

“Though I have given up smoking cigars,” she admitted.

Her next project will take her shows to Egypt and the Middle East, and I am sure she will have equal success there, but she promises she will be back touring England next spring, with Tosca and Carmen.

Ellen’s shows are renowned for many things, not least her regular use of nudity.

I asked what reaction she had got to the naked concubines in last year’s production of Rigoletto which I had seen at Blackpool.

I wrote in an LEP review of this show that “having got accustomed to the sight [of the naked ladies], I’m not sure why the men were not in a state of undress too or would that be a step too far?”

“I don’t know about that,” said Ellen.

“After all, the Welsh National Opera have used naked men but personally I don’t want to see men’s bits on stage.”